


Human Illness

by bunnybi



Series: Sharing is Caring [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Blade of Marmora Keith (Voltron), Canon Compliant, Fluff, M/M, Pre-S5, Red Paladin Lance (Voltron), post-s4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-20 01:03:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14884667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunnybi/pseuds/bunnybi
Summary: Keith had just come the closest to death he'd ever faced.How does he deal with it?He doesn't.There's still work to do, after all.  What happens now?  That's what Keith hopes to find out as he and Kolivan travel to the castleship to meet up with Team Voltron.But when Keith learns a certain blue-eyed spazz is quarantined with some sort of angry space virus......Well...He'd insist the necessity of his shift in priorities to Kolivan later.





	Human Illness

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Finally posting my first work on here! Just a quick note, I wrote this a bit before season five came out. I edited it as much as I could to be more canon-compliant, but there isn't really anything spoilery for S5 aside from the way it starts. That said, I hope you guys enjoy! There's a part 2 to this as well, I'll do my best to get it uploaded soon!

Shiro had always told Keith he worried too much. And for years, Keith had brushed him off. He didn’t see anything wrong with wanting to protect the people who mattered to him, especially when the list had thinned out so alarmingly.

But assessing his current circumstances...maybe Shiro had a point.

Keith had returned to the castle with the Blades to discuss what they were going to do with Lotor now that he was within their captivity. Once the greetings were exchanged and Hunk had given Keith the most painful hug of his life, Keith noticed the room was down a rather bombastic Paladin.

Lance. Who was apparently holed up with some sort of aggressive space flu.

And Keith felt guilty for ditching the meeting in favor of checking on him. He really did. But Kolivan was going to do most of the talking anyway, and Keith knew he’d get a rundown on the way back to their ship.

And now here Keith was; a mess of emotions in front of the Blue...Red Paladin’s bedroom. He huffed a small sigh before knocking on Lance’s door for the third time. Still no answer. Keith bit down a wave of anxiety as it buzzed through his abdomen; it was hard not to picture the worst case scenario when there was a lot of unknown surrounding space illnesses. 

But maybe Lance was just asleep?

Even so...If he was as sick as the others were making it sound, Keith wouldn’t feel right leaving him unchecked. Swallowing a flicker of guilt for the intrusion, Keith eased into the room as quietly as he could. His suspicions were confirmed right away as his eyes fell onto the snoring blanket burrito bundled in Lance’s bed. His face was mostly submerged into his cocoon, but the flush in his features was still very apparent.

Keith raised a hand and gingerly felt Lance’s forehead. He was _warm_. Dangerously so. For a moment, Keith resented that no one was keeping a closer eye on him - but realistically he knew that wasn’t fair. The others were trying to shoulder as many responsibilities as they could so Lance could rest peacefully. But if that fever continued to run this rampant...

A soft groan snapped Keith out of his thoughts. He quickly retracted his hand from Lance’s forehead, feeling his own face grow a little hot as those night blue eyes blearily blinked at him. Thank God he’d left the lights off.

Lance scowled a little, “Great, now I’m hallucinating…”

Keith resisted the urge to wince empathetically. Lance’s voice sounded awful. His usual energetic and mirthful intonation had broken to a mere shadow of itself, every word sounding like they grated against his throat. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up,” Keith said, trying to keep his voice low.

“S’okay, Brain-Mullet,” Lance croaked weakly. “Guess if you were gonna be anything, I’m glad it’s somethin’ I want to see. If you’d hit me with a giant spider or something, we were gonna have a problem.”

Keith rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t help the smirk that tugged at his lips, “You _wanted_ to see me? Quiznak, you really are delusional.”

“Says the edgy hothead who’s apparently ditching a Lotor discussion to catch the nefarious space plague from his dying, better-looking rival,” Lance’s grin was weak, yet cocky.

“I…” Keith’s mouth moved uselessly for a moment as he fought for a way to refute that. Unsuccessful, he cleared his throat and did his best to swallow his mild embarrassment, ”You’re barely conscious, and jabbing at me is your first instinct?”

“Well, _someone_ has to,” Lance’s attempt to chuckle resulted in a few stifled coughs. “The Blades don’t look like much fun. Gotta make up for lost time.”

Keith snorted, “Why do I bother worrying about you?”

“Cuz you missed me~”

Well...there was that stupid blush again.

Lance wasn’t wrong though - Keith _had_ missed him. There wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t think about his Voltron family, but somehow his mind always seemed to linger on Lance. He couldn’t believe he’d ever be left wanting without the obnoxious paladin terrorizing him down every corner he’d turned, but...the Blades were so damn quiet. Even when Keith discussed battle tactics with Kolivan, he found himself feeling a little empty.

Suddenly, the reality of just how brief this reunion was going to be caused his heart to sink. He knew he’d made the right call - he didn’t regret fighting alongside the Marmora, but...no matter how much he trained with him, no matter how much blood he lost with them, no matter how many sacrifices they made together, they still didn’t feel like…

They didn’t feel like home.

“You good, man?” Lance’s voice cut into Keith’s consciousness once again. His glossy, yet slightly more alert eyes seemed to be observing him carefully; despite the nonchalance in his tone. Keith cleared his throat.

“Yeah...Yeah, I’m fine,” Keith met Lace’s gaze a little guiltily. “I should really be the one asking you that, though. You look like a chewed-up Yupper toy.”

“...Yup,” Lance lowered his voice to mimic the aforementioned creature, but the strain on his throat sent him into a harrowing coughing fit.

Keith gripped Lance’s shoulder in an attempt to steady him; unsure of what else to do. Feverish heat prickled at his palm - even through the small barrier Lance’s shirt sleeve provided. Keith knit his brows; his thumb absently rubbing circles into Lance’s upper arm while he wracked his brain for some way to help.

“I-I’m okay - meant to do that,” Lance choked, but his shivering said otherwise. Keith bit his lip.

“I’m...gonna get you some water, okay?” Keith awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “And maybe, like...a wet cloth, or...something…” He glared at the floor; mumbling something akin to “Stupid Altean medicine” under his breath. Lance’s resulting groan signaled he hadn’t missed it.

“They told you about that?”

Keith tilted his head, “About...what? That it doesn’t work on humans?”

Lance’s expression pinched into something slightly incredulous, “ _Seriously_? They tell you THAT, but not how they found that out? Coran tried to explode my face!”

Keith raised an amused eyebrow, “Oh yeah?”

“ _Yeah_!” Lance’s voice cracked a little, but he pressed on. “Made me snort some kind of orange powder that burned everything it touched! Do you have any idea how long it took me to stop sneezing?”

Keith’s features softened sympathetically, but he still couldn’t help a small laugh, “Sounds uncomfortable.”

“It _hurt_ ,” Lance huffed. “So...yeah. Stupid Altean medicine.” He sniffled and rubbed at his nose indignantly. 

Keith’s eyes absently followed the action. There had been many times he’d _literally_ butted heads with the other male, but he was only just noticing the faint dusting of freckles settled against the bridge of his nose; fanning out along his cheekbones. The pleasantly subtle detail ignited a soft heat within Keith’s chest - a feeling he wasn’t sure he had a frame of reference for.

Before he could dwell on it, he was effectively grounded by a hand waving in front of his eyes.

“Yoooo Keith, you still in there buddy?” Lance’s tone might’ve been obnoxious if his congestion wasn’t actively working to butcher it. Nevertheless, an impish smirk stretched his lips, “Even illness doesn’t stand a chance against my dashing good looks, I know. I never expected you’d have such good taste~”

“W- _What_?” Keith sputtered; stumbling a step back. “I wasn’t -- I just _spaced_ , alright?”

“No, no - it’s perfectly understandable,” Lance’s features settled into a dramatic amount of overconfidence. “It’s _hard_ to be this distracting, but it’s a burden I must bear~”

“Alright, well,” Keith swiped the empty cup sitting on the floor beside Lance with a little more force than he’d intended. “While you’re busy being insufferable, I’m getting the damn water.”

Keith ignored Lance’s huffy squawk of “I’m _perfectly_ sufferable!” as he shuffled to the room’s adjoining bathroom. 

Once he had the cup filled and located a clean washcloth, he paused. He didn’t see the damp material lasting long against Lance’s scorching skin. Keith’s eyes briefly scanned the bathroom; maybe there was something else he could fill with water to keep by Lance’s bed. 

“Hey, Lance?” Keith called. “Are you hoarding any bowls or small buckets in here, by chance?”

Lance didn’t respond. Had he fallen back to sleep already? Keith turned his attention back into the bedroom; spotting the other male sitting upright in his bed, and looking dazed. Keith’s brows knit in concern, “Lance…?”

Lance held a finger up in Keith’s direction. He then moved to pinch at the bridge of his nose, his eyes squeezing together tightly. His body tensed as he appeared to be riding through something especially painful. Keith hated how useless he felt from where he was standing. Why couldn’t he just take this from him like an enemy attack? 

After several agonizing minutes, Lance’s features finally began to relax. He blinked a few times before his heavily lidded eyes shift back to Keith, “Sorry, headaches come and go - I’m okay though. What were you asking?”

Keith shook himself from his thoughts, “Hm?”

“You were looking for something…?”

“... _Oh_ ,” Keith mentally kicked himself. Quiznak, he needed to get it together. “Just uh...wonderin’ if you had any bigger containers for water. Figured it’d be easier than bringing your washcloth in here every twenty minutes to run it under the sink.”

Lance snorted, “Tryhard.” 

“That fever’s gotta come down, man,” Keith snipped as he crossed his arms defensively. He knew he sounded angry, and it really hadn’t been his intention. Deflating a little, he shot Lance a tired gaze, “Sorry, it’s just...you’re no good to us _dead_ , y’know?”

Somehow, Lance didn’t seem to receive that statement the way Keith had wanted him to. His features hardened, and he curled in a little on himself, “There’s a panel opposite the sink that opens a hidden wall-cabinet. Should be a plastic bowl in there full of skin care products; you can dump ‘em out.”

Keith nodded, feeling a little heavy from the evenness of Lance’s tone. He located the panel with ease now that he knew it was there - how hadn’t he noticed it sooner? Then again, he wasn’t exactly the type to go around touching walls when he was bored. 

Spotting the bowl, Keith carefully removed the contents and neatly set them onto the shelf. Satisfied, he closed the cabinet and turned back to the sink. He rinsed out the bowl a few times for good measure before filling it up and tossing the washcloth into it.

Keith padded back over to Lance’s bedside, containers in hand and eyeing him warily. Lance wasn’t looking at him. His eyes were trained toward his feet, brows pinched as though he were working something out. 

“Lance,” Keith called softly. “You okay?”

“Yeah…” Lance hesitated for a beat, but a nod still followed, “Yeah, I’m alright. Just dizzy…”

Keith responded with a sympathetic hum, setting the bowl near the head of Lance’s bed, “You should probably lay back down, but -- here,” he held Lance’s cup in front of him. “Get some fluids in you first.” 

Lance accepted the water and gingerly brought it to his lips. Keith didn’t miss the wince as he swallowed; even small sips seemed to tear at his weathered throat on the way down. 

Lance drank as much as he could stand before idly holding the cup on his lap, his thumb absently tracing the rim. Keith couldn’t kick the feeling that something was eating at him. He tried for one more soft push.

“Somethin’ on your mind?”

Lance shrugged, “Not really…” He frowned into his drink as he seemed to reconsider, “Well kinda, but it’s not really a big deal. Just...hating this timing a little, I guess.”

Keith’s eyes softened, offering a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulder, “This isn’t your fault.”

“Maybe not, but I’m still boggin’ the team down... _again_ …” Lance sighed as a bitter chuckle escaped him. “Then you come back for the first time in weeks after nearly _dying_ , and you’re wasting all this time on my ass.”

“Lance...you’re not a waste of time,” Keith tilted his head to catch Lance’s gaze. “I’m serious, alright? Red wouldn’t like you so much if you were a liability. I can still feel her - I know she’s worried about you.”

This brought a small smile to Lance’s face, but it didn’t entirely reach his eyes. Keith chewed his lip; wracking his brain for something else that might make Lance feel a little better. 

Well...he did have _something_ in reserve, but he wasn’t entirely sure how Lance was gonna take it. 

His hand wandered to a pouch on his belt and he thumbed the zipper contemplatively. Gift giving wasn’t something he _did_ , really. Even with Shiro, the sentiment felt a little weird. There was too much room for error - it was hard to judge what would be genuinely well-received, and what would just end up clutter. But the longer he looked at Lance’s dejected face…

...Fuck it, it was worth a shot.

“Hey, uh,” Keith resented the way his voice wavered slightly. “I know I missed your birthday while I was...away. But, um...I found somethin’ I thought you might...hold on…” Keith avoided Lance’s gaze, but he could feel the weight of it boring into him curiously. Keith fiddled with the pouch on his hip, pulling out a bulky game cartridge. “I think it’s a prequel to that one you and Pidge found at the Space Mall, um…” Keith held it out to Lance sheepishly, “Sorry it’s not wrapped…”

“You’re...you’re _serious_?” Lance squeaked, carefully taking the cartridge and inspecting it closely. He let out a shaky breath, “Oh my god...I can’t _believe_ you…”

Keith barely had time to look up before a body was barreling into his crouched form, nearly knocking him backwards. It took him a moment to register what was going on, but when Lance’s arms tightened across his shoulder blades, Keith shifted so Lance could hug him a little less awkwardly.

“Dude, you can’t even find this one on _Earth_ anymore,” Lance’s voice cracked in his excitement, head buried in Keith’s shoulder so he couldn’t see his face.  
Keith decided to kindly pretend he didn’t feel something dripping onto the base of his neck, wrapping his own arms securely around Lance’s furnace of a body. 

The two stayed like this in companionable silence for several ticks. When Lance’s shivering slowly crawled up in intensity, Keith instinctively brought him a little closer; trying to offer him as much body heat as he possibly could. 

“Keith…” Lance said finally, voice was barely audible.

“Hm?”

“Don’t...be so quick to throw your life away to play the hero, alright?” Lance forced a chuckle, but the pain behind it was obvious. “Can’t have you upstaging me.”

Keith sighed deeply; adjusting his chin onto Lance’s shoulder, “I didn’t see another way…”

“There’s always another way.”

“Not...always,” Keith swallowed. Kolivan may have been numb to the Blades’ body count by now, but Keith still saw some of their final moments in his nightmares. 

“That’s Galra talk,” Lance huffed. He must have felt Keith stiffen, because his hand slowly began to wander up and down Keith’s lower back. “Sorry...I keep forgetting.”

“S’fine,” Keith grumbled. It wasn’t like Lance was entirely wrong. “Anyway...The important thing is - if anything happens to me, Voltron still has a strong team behind it. You guy’s are fi--”

“If you say we’re fine without you, I’m gonna sneeze in your face,” Lance chimed in moodily. Keith pulled back with a horrified grimace, sending Lance into a breathy cackle, “I’m _kidding_ \- don’t break out the holy water.” 

Keith rolled his eyes, but an amused smirk quirked his lips nonetheless. He gently rubbed a hand against Lance’s back, “Let’s get you back in bed, alright?”

Lance nodded, not even protesting Keith’s assistance. Before he bundled up again, he grinned at the game cartridge he’d set on his pillow. “Man, I don’t think I can even count the amount of cool points you earned for that. You really didn’t have to.”

Keith shrugged, “I wanted to. Kinda the point of a gift, isn’t it?”

Lance grinned; handing the game to Keith, “Can you set it on my dresser?”

Keith complied. Upon his return, he fished the washcloth out of the bowl it’d been soaking in and thoroughly wrung it out. The soft groan of relief when he placed it against Lance’s forehead sparked a feeling of pure affection within Keith that he’d almost found overwhelming. He really hoped this would hold Lance over until the fever broke on its own.

“Hey, I’m gonna let you get some sleep,” Keith said softly - though he could tell by Lance’s drooping eyelids that he’d probably be out before Keith made it to the door. “I’ll talk Kolivan into staying the night so I can make sure you’re doin’ okay in the morning, alright?”

Lance mumbled something inaudible, but Keith assumed it was an acknowledgement. Straightening himself, he turned to move toward the door, but not before a hand weakly caught his fingers.

Lance looked up at him sheepishly, “Sorry, I just, uh...could you maybe stay? Eh...you’re probably gonna make fun of me for this, but I don’t...really like being alone when I get hit with this sort of shit...Big family and all -- someone’s always doting on you, or…laughing at you; depends on the sibling.”

Keith looked at him for a moment. Lance was putting on a brave face, but his homesickness was the most obvious Keith had ever seen it. A year ago, he might not have been able to relate. But now, just thinking about being in Lance’s shoes and needing to depend on _Kolivan_ to keep him alive...he wouldn’t want to let any of the paladins out of his sight either.

Keith realized he’d taken too long to mull this over when Lance let go of his hand, “Sorry, yeah -- that was probably a weird request...I’ve already kept you from--”

“No, no, I’ll stay,” Keith assured him with a soft smile. “Do you want me to hunt down a chair...?”

“What? No, I’m not heartless,” Lance tried to sound indignant, but the broken squeaks lacing his words made him impossible to take seriously. Nevertheless, he scooted closer to the wall and patted the empty spot next to him, “Bedside Manner 101~! First lesson; get over here.”

Keith smirked and shook his head, “Alright, well, suit’s coming off first. You’re gonna cook me in this thing.” Lance’s eyes widened slightly, and Keith wondered if he’d been too bold. “Is that...alright?”

“Uh--yeah! _Yeah_! Super alright! The definition of ‘alright!’ You don’t even know how _very_ alright I am!” Lance’s following laugh sounded a little flustered. 

Keith raised an eyebrow, “You’re ridiculous.”

Lance made a strangled noise, but didn’t argue.

 _Quiznak_ , it felt good to get out of the Marmora uniform. It suited its purposes well, but it wasn’t the most breathable outfit he owned. Keith inhaled a deep sigh and stretched; rolling his bare shoulder as he glanced back at Lance, “Do you want me to dig up a night shirt?”

“Naaah, we’re all friends here,” Lance said with a wink. 

Keith wasn’t entirely sure how to take that, but he shrugged, “If you say so.”

Complying with Lance’s instructions, Keith slid into the open space in his bed. Lance adjusted his blankets so they were covering both of them.

“Kay, second lesson~” Lance captured Keith’s wrist and lifted it above his head; giving him room to plant himself on Keith’s chest before guiding his arm to rest on Lance’s shoulders. “Cuddles cure everything.”

Keith tried to cover up his embarrassment with a snort, “Where the hell did _you_ go to medical school?”

“Shut up’n lemme steal your body heat,” Lance demanded.

“ _Oh_ ,” Keith playfully poked at the back of Lance’s head. “Was _that_ the ultimate plan?”

“Mm, y’got me,” Lance mumbled sleepily. He wasn’t gonna last much longer.

Keith peeled the cloth off Lance’s forehead for a moment - earning a few grunts of protest from the other male. He reached over the side of the bed to refresh it in the water before bringing it back to Lance’s skin. He took a moment to press it against his cheek; slowly dragging it along his neck and adding the slightest pressure to the base. The collar of Lance’s shirt got a little wet, but his purrs of approval indicated he didn’t mind.

Keith dipped it in the water one more time to cool it off before returning it to Lance’s forehead. Keith could still feel him shivering against him, but his features looked a little less pained. 

Lance’s body seemed to grow heavier against Keith’s side as tension slowly left him. Keith was on his way out himself; barely able to keep his eyes open against the soothing familiarity of his surroundings. Lance’s soft, rhythmic breaths weren’t helping. He was just about to let consciousness slip away before he thought he heard a voice.

“Keith?” Lance murmured.

“Hm?”

“...Thanks for bein’ here.”

“Mmhm,” Keith rested his cheek against the top of Lance’s head; a soft smile pulling at his lips. “Anytime.” 


End file.
